Black Sheep

There are so many ways to share your faith. Sharing Jesus with people isn't always spontaneous, such as speaking with a waitress or a guy at the gas pump. Since Black Sheep are regularly connected with a network of riders, there are also times where we can simply be prepared in advance. Have a 3 minute "elevator speech" ready to go; either, "What Jesus Means to Me" or "How I Came To Be a Christian." This is for those times you don't have an extended time to tell your whole story. You have practiced your elevator speech at home over and over and now you're ready when the occasion arises. Have an extended testimony ready for a time when someone is willing to sit down with you to talk about Jesus. It may be ten, twenty or even thirty minutes long. Their "interruptions" and questions are important so be prepared to pause and listen. Yes! Be a good listener! Look for the opportunities when people are in crisis, or just searching for answers to life. Listen and respond, listen and respond. And don't minimize the silent witness you have at work or school or even in your neighborhood. The silent witness by example is powerful and effective - but don't let the silent witness replace your responsibility to "speak up." Jesus said, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16 The good works of Jesus in today's world come through us being His hands and feet. This means that since He is not on this Earth anymore, we need to do the work through Him and for Him, equipped with the Holy Spirit inside of us. This is helpful to do after speaking about Jesus because most people don't learn by just listening to words, they respond to action! (Imagine a teacher that just presents a lecture versus a teacher that lectures and follows it up with an interactive lesson.) If someone is going through a challenging time and you talk to them about Jesus, follow through what you talked about with the walk. Ask them how you can help. Ask how you can pray for them. Check in on them. Follow-up with them. You never know when you are the only person that follows through like that. Jesus told us what the greatest commandment was: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." And then He told us what the second was: "Love your neighbor as yourself." We cannot complete the first without doing the second. It's time to get real about sharing Jesus! ...AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME "If we understand what lies ahead for those who do not know Christ, there will be a sense of urgency in our witness." David Jeremiah "Every day you are witnessing. What are you witnessing to? Your witness is the total package of your attitudes, character, and actions. It does not lie." Winkie Pratney "God desires for you to be involved in drawing people to His Word through a dedicated life to Him and an active witness for Him." Paul Chappell "Are we willing to publicly confess our allegiance to God and His ability to save?" Crystal McDowell "I do not know anything that would wake up Chicago better than for every man and woman here who loves Him to begin to talk about Him to their friends, and just to tell them what He has done for you. You have got a circle of friends. Go and tell them of Him." Dwight L. Moody "Soon we shall be up there with Christ. God did not mean us to be happy without Him; but God would first have us to be witnesses for Him down here, to hold out as much light as we can." G.V. Wigram

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